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This story appears in The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society's student newsletter Professional Preface, vol. 13, no. 1.

TMS President shares recruiting strategies and benefits of professional societies with student chapters

During visits to two relatively new Material Advantage student chapters, 2005 TMS President Tresa Pollock shared her thoughts on the value of materials societies and offered suggestions on how students can generate interest in their chapter activities. In November and December, Pollock addressed students at Florida International University and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas on the topic, “Professional Societies: What Can They Do for You?”

Pollock, a professor at the University of Michigan, is actively involved in her school’s student chapter. To attract students to meetings, the Michigan chapter invites potential employers to talk with students. If students find the company an appealing potential employer, they will attend the talk. Meeting on a regular basis is also important to the success of a student chapter, according to Pollock. The Michigan group holds weekly luncheons with invited speakers from both within and outside of their school’s technical community.

Students who belong to Material Advantage student chapters should also take advantage of the benefits offered outside of their own schools. Pollock encourages students to attend events that facilitate networking with professional members, such as the 2006 TMS Annual Meeting in March, Congressional Visits Day in the spring, and the Materials Science and Technology 2006 conference in the fall.

The benefits of networking and involvement in technical societies extend beyond the college years, however, and Pollock introduced students to programs available to them after graduation. Recognizing that expenses can be tight for recent graduates, TMS offers its student members a one-year professional membership free of charge, with reduced dues for the second and third years following graduation. Recent graduates can also become active in the TMS Young Leaders committee, a group of professional TMS members under the age of 35 who schedule programming and provide opportunities for expanded leadership roles within the society. (For more on this group, see The Young Leader newsletter in this issue of the journal.) “Professional societies are more important than ever in this era of globalization,” Pollock said. “Students need to get involved as early as possible.”

For additional information or questions on student membership, please contact:

TMS Membership Department
184 Thorn Hill Road
Warrendale, PA 15086
Telephone: (724) 776-9000
Fax: (724) 776-3770
Email: students@tms.org